More Than Just A Game
by MoltresFeather
Summary: The kids of Hillwood have found the joy in the game of Duel Monsters. But when the harmless game is taken to the next level, it's up to Arnold to show Helga more than one lesson she'll never forget.  I DON'T own Hey Arnold OR Yu-Gi-Oh!
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! Haven't written in awhile, and I deeply apologize for my absence from my Pokemon story.. One thing led to another in life, and I got a big writer's block on that story.. but it shall be continued soon!

However, I'm also a HUGE Hey Arnold! AND Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan, so what better way to exercise the writing part of my brain than combining both? Hey Arnold characters + AMAZING card game = Hey Arnold Characters playing an AMAZING card game! (duh..?) But for some reason I couldn't mark this as a crossover, since I can only target one character from each series if I do so.

Arnold+Helga forever! This fic takes place post-TJM, 6th-Grade era. At least 2 chapters but maybe longer! Just a little time killer…

DISCLAIMER:::::: I do NOT own Hey Arnold OR Yu-Gi-Oh!, their characters, plot lines/ideas, etc… I am only credited for this story!

Chapter 1:

It had been almost a year since Arnold returned to Hillwood from South America, but he had felt like he hadn't missed a thing from being away from his hometown. He and his friends never strayed from playing baseball and football as much as possible, and each weekend they all still hit the movies and the arcades. Heck, even he and Helga have gotten along a little better since his return, and after what happened between them after him and his parents were finally reunited, for the first time since his infancy, he wouldn't have expected anything else.

Arnold, now eleven, looked a little older than when the fifth grade class left him in South America a year before. He had a bigger wardrobe but still had his tiny blue cap and signature plaid pattern present every day. He grew into his head a little more, so everything about him looked a little better proportionally.

He felt a kind of safety he'd always taken for granted before he had left to South America, and he felt the same of his friends. Being away from the kids he'd grown up with took its toll on him every now and then, but now that he was home, with his parents accompanying him, he finally felt complete, for the first time in his life.

Yet, slowly but surely, as time went on during his sixth grade year, something slowly overcame his friends, and soon himself… It affected almost everyone he knew, and it quickly became everyone's right-hand hobby. It passed the time during recess and lunch, it was the source of sleepovers and get-togethers with friends, and it soon became so popular that tournaments were locally held at the game store down the street from Arnold's house. Kids were constantly trading and playing, and it was all in good fun. Duel Monsters was the biggest thing since The King Rules, and far surpassed it, since it was much easier to understand. Duel Monsters cards were also more affordable, and the gameeven had several total TV shows based on it.

Arnold and Gerald found themselves playing the card game one night in Arnold's room after a long week of school. Arnold's grandparents had just brought up some cookies and milk as the two were finishing up a duel.

"And your lifepoints go to zero Gerald! Man, you're a little rusty tonight, you doing ok?" Arnold asked as he gathered his cards and started shuffling.

Gerald did the same. "Man, I'm not sure…. My deck is pretty balanced out… maybe it's just luck of the draw. And that isn't even your main deck! How can I get better if I can't beat your backup?" Gerald started searching through his Burn deck.

Arnold grabbed Gerald's deck and started browsing through it. The deck had card sleeves covered in flame decoration with a black background. "My main deck would have a lot more trouble with this. The deck I just used gets the job done faster. This kind of Burn deck relies on the opponent's disposal of cards, and the deck I just used hits really fast…. My main deck is my best one, but because of how my main operates, your deck would have a much easier time playing out." Arnold had been playing the game for awhile now. He had originally picked it up in South America and got the basics down, but once he got back to Hillwood he soon found that the popularity of the game is sky high compared to how it goes over in San Lorenzo.

Gerald though about Arnold's words for a second as he received his deck back. "So what you're saying… is that I have to slow down my opponent? How could I do that?"

"Here-" Arnold stated as he got up, walked across his room and reached into a small box on his desk. After a second of searching for something, he walked back to his bed where he and Gerald just dueled. "Throw these in, they'll slow them down for sure."

Gerald took the cards from Arnold. One was a Continuous Spell card and had a dark picture of some sort of machinery on it. The other was a Flip Effect monster, with a picture of a pink worm with a large white needle on its head. "Level Limit Area-B? Haven't seen this one before… and Needle Worm? I've heard about this one but I've never seen it…."

"Your deck has a lot of Trap cards, so Level Limit would be great."

Gerald continued to look at it. "All Lv. 4 or higher Monsters stay in Defense mode? That's pretty cool!"

"It's a good combo with your Lava Golem," Arnold replied. "It should help you out a lot."

"And this Needle Worm is awesome!" Gerald continued. "If I have all my good traps out, or even just one or two, five cards going to the graveyard will deal a lot of damage!"

"Yeah, and it also shortens your opponent's deck. Try to find a couple more worms and throw those in too. This helps a lot in any Burn deck."

"Thanks bro, even in this card game craze going on around town, you're still always helping somebody out." Gerald said, as he took out a couple cards from his deck and placed his new cards in the sleeves. "But at least no one's dressing up in weird costumes…"

"That's exactly why I didn't play The King Rules…" Arnold replied. They both laughed as they shuffled their decks in preparation for another duel.

Across town that night, even Helga G. Pataki, the meanest, toughest girl in school, who most thought wouldn't be caught dead playing a trading card game with dweebs and dorks, was in her room completely rebuilding her deck. Big Bob surprisingly gave her some cash for her recent birthday, and she decided to spend it on cards that would make her deck even more powerful than it already was.

"Finally, my weapon is perfect," she said to herself, placing the deck softly in front of her. The neon pink sleeves were bright enough to see through walls. "Now, even in this stupid card game, I'm more powerful than everyone else! One step closer to world domination!"

"Are you sure it was wise to spend all your birthday money on trading cards?" Phoebe asked, concerned if these spending habits would carry into Helga's teenage years.

"Well Pheebs, you only live once, and the only thing I've ever really done is writing. This game is actually pretty cool, so I might as well enjoy it even more by pumping up my deck with these insane cards my dad got me! Besides, I have enough paper to build a life-sized airplane, so I'm not going to buy any more.…" Helga shuffled the deck, placed it in a Deck Box, and put it in her front pocket of her backpack.

"Helga, are you really going to bring those expensive cards to school on Monday?" Phoebe asked. She didn't think it was so wise for a sixth grader to bring something worth so much money to school.

"Why not? Everyone else plays at school, and I've even noticed myself controlling what I say to others a little better…. I guess the game helps me vent my emotions through a harmless competition. Maybe this game will somehow even help my chances of getting together with…" Helga faded off a bit, remembering her alias for Arnold- "..ice cream..?"

Phoebe thought for a second. She did realize that Helga had toned down her outbursts and her attitude since the game acquired her interest. For the first time in awhile, she's seen Helga actually, happy? Phoebe had second thoughts on her opinion of the game, and as she watched Helga beaming as she immediately took her deck out of her bag and jetted through it, taking out a couple cards in the process, Phoebe saw that maybe Helga was right. After all, Arnold was the reason why Helga had always had her defenses up, always protecting her image with over-the-top actions, attitude, and sometimes words. Maybe this game _would_ give her a way to vent her emotions through something else other than the center of her emotional life. Plus, the game did look a little fun… maybe Phoebe herself might even get involved in it.

As it got later in the night, Helga eventually stopped rummaging through her deck, realizing that if she made too many changes to it, it wouldn't perform well. She planned on entering a local tournament the next weekend, so she wanted her deck primed and polished for it.

But little did both Helga and Arnold know that night that on the upcoming Monday at school, this game would be taken to a whole new level. And they will learn a lesson they'll never forget.

Well, that about does it for the first chapter! Don't worry, the second will be a little longer, and I'm planning to split the upcoming duel into chapters as well. Stick around!

-MoltresFeather


	2. Chapter 2

Hey gang! Thanks for my first couple reviews on this fic, one even gave me a crazy idea that I feel CRAZY for not thinking of in the first place… Another update here, this should be a longer chapter, the first was just to get things going… For some reason Hey Arnold is a little harder for me to write for than Pokemon, so if this update is later than sooner, quality comes with time..

This one will be a little more in-depth in storyline. Here we go!

DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT own Hey Arnold or Yu-Gi-Oh..

Chapter 2

Monday arrived quickly for Arnold as his potato-powered alarm clock blazed, piercing his peaceful withdrawal from life. He clumsily unhooked the positive wire from the potato, killing the annoying repetition of his own name. Arnold stretched after rising from his soft bed and slowly made his way down the stairs, toward the kitchen, where the smell of bacon, eggs and pancakes came from. His Grandma always made three very hearty meals per day, everyday.

"Hey Shortman!" Arnold's Grandpa exclaimed as Arnold arrived into the kitchen. Surprisingly, his Grandpa was the one responsible for the awakening smell of breakfast. As usual, he was already dressed in his brown suspender pants and white shirt. The only time Arnold could remember of himself getting up earlier than his Grandpa was when Oskar kept making up excuses to not deliver the morning paper.

"Where's Grandma?" Arnold asked, after rubbing his eyes and scanning the kitchen.

"Oh, she's feeling a little under the weather right now… Your parents went to the market to get her some medicine and tea. And all the borders have already left for their jobs. So it's just you and me Shortman! Like Bert and Ernie, or Mario and Luigi, Peter Parker and Spider-Man or Thelma and Louise…" Grandpa started showing off, flipping the pancakes in the pan, and trailing off with more pairs of people.

"Oh, okay Grandpa, I was just wondering since she usually makes breakfast. I hope she'll be okay…" Arnold grew concerned fast. He couldn't remember the last time his Grandma was so ill that she stayed in bed.

"Not to worry Shortman, your Grandma is tougher than ALL of us think… Why, I've seen her meditate in a walk-in freezer for four days straight, blindfolded while standing on her head, walking 10 miles uphill both ways all at the same time!"

Arnold gave his grandpa a strange look. He appreciated his Grandpa's exaggerated effort to cheer him up, but knowing his Grandma, he really struggled to believe if it was true or not. "She'll be just fine Arnold," his Grandpa continued, "but YOU won't be fine if you keep fartin' around here… Grab some food and get ready for school before you're late for the bus."

"Okay Grandpa," Arnold responded, as he grabbed a fresh pancake and a couple bacon strips, with no plate, making some sort of bacon-pancake taco and made his way up to his room to eat and get ready at the same time. Even though his parents were back home with him, his Grandpa always kept that parental instinct of his in close check.

Arnold started getting ready for school once he got back into his bedroom. He quickly got out of his PJs and into his blue jeans, white shirt and red-plaid buttondown long sleeve shirt, rolling up the sleeves and leaving the top couple of buttons undone, showing the white shirt. He finished up his food after putting on his red-and-white Converse Hi-tops.

"_I have a strange feeling about today…" _he thought to himself as he grabbed his backpack, making sure his deck was kept safe in it. He had started hearing stories of Duel Monsters cards being stolen at school, so he kept his deck inside a locking deck box as of recently. _"I feel like something really strange will happen... And I know it has something to do with whoever is stealing those cards… But if they try to come after me, I'll be ready!" _Arnold made sure he had all his things together, and made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

"I'm leaving Grandpa! I might be home a little later, I'm getting together with some friends after school," Arnold explained, popping his head into the kitchen, and seeing his grandpa reading the morning paper.

"Okay Shortman, but don't forget about your homework, and dinner is at 6:00," His grandpa responded.

"I'll be back before then Grandpa, bye!" Arnold left the kitchen and made his way out to the bus stop. It was a nice April morning, and it was supposed to be sunny, so he didn't bring any kind of jacket with him.

A couple minutes later, the bus arrived and Arnold made his way on. He instantly found where Gerald sat, and sat down next to him, like he did every morning.

"Yo bro," Gerald greeted as they did their secret handshake. "You ready for that math test? Personally, I think it's psychotic to mix letters with numbers…."

"Yep, I'm ready… I studied last night but not overkill, my homework's been good this chapter so I think I'll be fine," Arnold responded.

"Man, I don't think I'll do too hot. I've been struggling this whole week, I should've studied more last weekend…" Gerald said. Maybe he should've asked Arnold to help him with math Saturday night instead of playing card games till sunrise. "But," he continued, "I did put those cards you game me into my burn deck, and I came across a few others too!"

Arnold stayed off the subject of Math, since Duel Monsters seemed to help Gerald stay relaxed amidst the stress of the test. They started looking at each other's cards, and began talking about strategies they might use at this weekend's card shop tournament.

The bus stopped a few minutes later, welcoming in Helga G. Pataki. The bus immediately quieted down a little. Helga, dressed in bell-bottom blue jeans, pink Converse, a red girl-cut shirt and a light pink, light material zip-up hoodie sweater, located Phoebe near the back of the bus, who was saving her seat. Helga also wore a pink beanie with a red stripe across it, making her two thick pigtails droop out of the back, almost like rabbit ears. Her pink bow was tied around her right wrist several times.

As she made her way to her seat, she noticed Arnold and Gerald chatting about Duel Monsters. They were in their own little world, and didn't notice Helga standing in the isle, peering at their cards with them.

"That's the best you dweebs got?" Helga asked out of the blue, in the middle of Arnold's sentence. "Please, I've seen better cards in a game of Uno, gimme a break…"

Arnold and Gerald looked flabbergasted. A: Why would Helga, of all people, say anything remotely related to Duel Monsters to them? B: What makes her think the cards are weak or worthless? And C: Would that mean she's familiar with the game? Is it possible that she has a deck of her own?

"Why would you care Helga?" Gerald asked, after taking a second to register what she just said. "What makes you think you know what you're talking about? Do you even know what this game is?"

"Of course I do, _Geraldo,_ it's Duel Monsters. Everyone plays it. Including me."

"YOU?" Gerald asked, flabbergasted yet again. "You play this game? Get outta town Helga, I know you'd be the LAST person on Earth to play a trading card game, you're too busy bossing others around and being full of yourself. You're too GOOD to play this game Helga…."

"Well thanks for the compliment, but judging by the looks of what I see in YOUR cards, I know a whole lot more about the game than you do…." Helga responded. She couldn't wait to show off her powerful cards she got the past weekend.

"What? I oughta-" Gerald started as he almost got up.

"Cool it Gerald," Arnold said, after watching this whole event unfold. "Come on guys, we're on the bus and we're almost at school… sort this out at recess or something, or-"

"Can it football head, I've had enough of Thing 1 and Thing 2 for a bus ride. Oh, and Arnold-" she started, as she started to walk towards her seat. "YOUR cards? Worse than tall-hair-boy's Uno cards."

Arnold and Gerald looked on as she made her way to her seat. "What was that about?" Arnold asked Gerald as they turned back around in their seats. "I mean, I'm as surprised as you are at the fact that she not only knows what the game is, but that she also has a DECK, and according to her a really powerful one… but was all that really worth her time? We didn't even notice her come on…"

Gerald shrugged and started going through his deck again. "Man, I don't even care anymore. She's always buttin' into other people's business, ridiculing whatever that business is. She's all talk, plain and simple. Besides, even if she DOES play, could you imagine someone like her even CONSIDERING to enter a trading card game tournament?"

"From what she just did Gerald, I wouldn't be surprised if she did."

A minute passed by before Gerald broke the silence. "Wait, Arnold... why was she looking at our cards? I still don't believe she plays, and if what you said is true, that she might have some powerful rare cards at her disposal, where do you think she GOT those cards?"

Arnold thought for a second. "Well, as for why she was looking at our cards, she might've just been interested at what we use to play the game with. She probably just likes to play… As for where she got her cards, we don't even know if she has any. Knowing Helga, she might just be mocking us… and if she DOES have some rare cards, maybe her dad bought them for her. He owns his own business, you know…."

"I think there's more to it than that, man," Gerald exclaimed. "For instance, how long was she standing there? Probably long enough to see all of our rare cards we have with us… What if she's been pulling this stunt on other kids? Knowing what someone has, then-"

"Wait Gerald, are you assuming that Helga is the one stealing cards?" Arnold whispered, making sure no one heard their conversation. "No way Gerald, not her… Believe me, I know her way better than you do, and I know for a FACT that she's not the one."

"But think about it Arnold… The bragging, the whole 'lookin' at our cards' thing, and when she said 'That's the best you dweebs got?' Like she was LOOKING for something take-able?" Gerald began to look anxious, and started rummaging through his cards.

"Gerald, what are you doing?" Arnold asked, concerned for his friend who, he realized, might be losing his mind.

"I'm making sure that cardnapper didn't touch MY cards!" Gerald shot out.

"But Gerald, she didn't even leave the isle.. And you have a window seat…."

"Better safe than sorry man," Gerald responded.

Arnold thought about what Gerald said, and linked those things to what just happened. He did agree that there was a _slight _possibility that Helga was the one going around school stealing cards. He knew she was more of the money type, and he knew some Duel Monsters cards were worth a lot of money. But he didn't believe that she was REALLY the one taking cards. That's just not the Helga he knows. Helga would never steal.

The bus arrived at P.S.118 after what seemed like an eternity. From the second Arnold woke up, he knew this would be a long day. So far, his prediction had been correct.

Well, that's chapter 2! A little longer than the 1st chapter, which is good! That means no writer's block!

Reviews, comments and ideas are always welcome! Keep me going!

The next chapter might take awhile, it's not written yet and I have a long week ahead of me, but I'll get it out as soon as I can! Please review!

-MoltresFeather


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